Thursday, May 17, 2012

Oax Pick - Depeche Mode's "Songs of faith and devotion"

This is not a fantastic album. Or maybe it is.
In the beginning, in the early 80's, I thought this band was ridiculous, something that would last a year or two, until the kids got tired of it and chose another pop band to adore, like kids do. Bay City Rollers of 1980. AAAAWWWW Mah God!!! How wrong I was!
A couple of years later one great tune after another showed up and I feld a bit annoyed, I don't like being wrong, at least not in my opinion of music.
Then great albums showed up, one after another and now, after all these years it's time to come out of the cave and ask for forgiveness. I'M SORRY, GUYS - I WAS WRONG!!!
But, now that's history.
This is a magnificent band, doing magnificent music (oh, no, not ALL of it, but very very much).
Today, when listening to their "Songs of faith and devotion" I feld it was time to focus them in one Oax Pick. The opening, "I feel you" is a monster of a kind almost no-one creates in an entire career, it has enough power for a whole album (but, it would have been a short album). Then it goes on, strong tunes, mostly low tempo (the early 90's was filled with down-tempo).
It's a strong band, Dave's voice is one of the best in rock, a lot of Martin's tunes are some of the best in modern rock music and the playing from all of them is nothing but...... I bow my head in deep respect.
Well, now it's said, let's go back into the cave, start reject the genius of the future, go back to normal, noise and freeform, drone and ambient, psych and space, jazz and...... pop music and rock music... Shit! I'll never get away from this as long as I live...
O'

Not to mention Dave Gahan's difficulties with various substances during this period of their career. His drug use really "darkened" their sound for this album, and contributed to their creative "industrial"-ish sound, but like all addicts, the creativity eventually runs out and all you have left is a junkie.

Luckily he cleaned up and is still alive and well today, unlike a lot of others.

Yeah, you have a point there. I'm well aware of it, but it feld a little bit too harsh to say they were best when Gahan was out of order. On the other hand, three years ago I saw them for the first and so far only time and they were really good; on their toes, filled with energy and joy - a clean band (I think). It was a great and impressive concert even though (as my synthi son remarked) the choise of tunes weren't the best. And the two Martine Gore's solo songs in the middle of the set were.... jiiisch!!! - a fantastic composer but a complete bore on his own...

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About Me

Just an old bum.
Also one half of Joxfield ProjeX.
What's life about?
Oh, various arts, watching the kids grow up, eating and drinking with friends, try to earn some money from my daytime job... the common stuff I guess...